{"id":2451,"date":"2021-01-21T11:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1334562"},"modified":"2021-01-21T11:00:39","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T11:00:39","slug":"hubble-spots-remains-of-a-supernova-humans-saw-explode-1700-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=2451","title":{"rendered":"Hubble spots remains of a supernova humans saw explode 1700 years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span>he opening years of the Fourth Century saw work begin on St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome, and the astronomer Pappus of Alexandria wrote details of his observation of an eclipse of the Sun. In the southern hemisphere, a star was seen erupting within a small, fuzzy patch of the night sky.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, no records survived telling of this celestial event south of the equator. However, astronomers have now turned the mighty gaze of the <\/span>Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> to examine the remnants of this titanic explosion, called 1E 0102.2\u2013729. By studying the cloud of gas and dust left behind, astronomers hope to piece together the story of the eruption that created this magnificent nebula.<\/p>\n

1E 0102.2\u20137219 \u2014 Charming name. Rolls off the tongue\u2026<\/h2>\n
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<\/i><\/a>A look at 1E 0102.2\u20137219, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA \/ HSST<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The eruption forming the nebula was seen on Earth 1,700 years ago, but the explosion was not recognized by astronomers until recently. Seen in the Small Magellanic Cloud (a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way 200,000 light years from Earth), this nebula was first seen, in X-ray light, by NASA\u2019s Einstein Observatory.<\/p>\n

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<\/i><\/a>NASA\u2019s Einstein Observatory. Image credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

By studying images of 1E 0102.2\u20137219 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope 10 years apart, astronomers were able to see how the <\/span>nebula<\/a> <\/span>changed over time.<\/p>\n

Knots within the nebula move at different speeds and directions from the center of the blast, at average velocities of 3.2 million kph (almost two million MPH). At that speed, it would be possible to travel from the Earth to the Moon and back in just 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

[Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data<\/span><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier studies of 1E 0102.2\u20137219 concluded the blast was seen on <\/span>Earth<\/a> between 2000 and 1000 years before our time. But, this new study examined the 22 fastest knots within the nebula, finding the nebula formed 1,700 years before our time.<\/p>\n

Please be kind and rewind<\/h2>\n
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\"Image
<\/i><\/a>Another Hubble image of 1E 0102.2\u20137219, showing gas and dust racing away from the center of the blast. Image credit: ESA \/ HSST<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Tracing back the paths of these tadpole-shaped, oxygen-rich, clumps of material in the nebula allowed astronomers to close in on this new age estimate. Ionized oxygen is often used as a tracer since it glows most brightly in visible light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe suspected neutron star was identified in observations with the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope in Chile, in combination with data from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory,\u201d <\/span>The Hubble Team reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The <\/span>neutron star<\/a> <\/span>(likely) left behind by the explosion was also seen racing away from the center of the blast at more than three million KPH (1.86 million MPH).<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is pretty fast and at the extreme end of how fast we think a neutron star can be moving, even if it got a kick from the supernova explosion. More recent investigations call into question whether the object is actually the surviving neutron star of the supernova explosion\u2026 Our study doesn\u2019t solve the mystery, but it gives an estimate of the velocity for the candidate neutron star,\u201d <\/span>John Banovetz<\/a> <\/span>of Purdue University stated.<\/p>\n

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